Bargain Baseball Players For The 2009 MLB Season!

Andy LaRoche – 3B Pirates – LaRoche was highly touted in the Dodgers systems for years. However, each time it seemed as though he was on the verge of a break through with the big club, he hits some sort of snag. Right before the trade deadline last year, LaRoche was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in part of a three team deal that sent Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers and Jason Bay to the Red Sox. In doing, so he joined his brother Adam in Pittsburgh. Going into this season the Pirates have stated that Andy will be given every opportunity to hold down 3B. If that is the case, LaRoche could be a nice sleeper because he has shown the talent in the minors. So he’s certainly worth gamble in later rounds as an additional CI. At the very least, he’ll offer you some nice depth with some high upside.

Jensen Lewis – RP Indians – This is probably more directed to Kerry Wood owners than anyone else, but I think Lewis is someone to consider if you’re taking Wood. Granted Wood had a very good year as a closer for the Cubs last year, and was relatively healthy all year. However, we all know his history and injury could come at any time. So grabbing Lewis late if you’re in a deep league and need a pitcher who will put up solid stats in middle relief, and possibly have a chance to close at some point, Lewis is a nice option. While in the closer role last year he did solid job, converting 13-of-13 save chances with a 2.91 ERA and 22/6 K/BB ratio in 21 2/3 innings.

Dallas McPherson – 3B Marlins - McPherson was another highly touted prospect coming up, and was originally drafted by the Angels in 2001. He shot up the ranks to be one of their top prospects, however never really put everything all together for various reason. After the 2007 season he was let go by the Angels and then signed a deal with the Marlins. He had a monster year in playing for the the Marlins Triple-A team in which he batted .275 with 42 home runs and 98 RBI. Normally a season like that would mean a call up and shot with the big club.

Unfortunately, he was blocked by the surprising play of Jorge Cantu. However, this year the Marlin’s traded Mike Jacobs to the Royals opening up a spot at 1B. So McPherson will get a shot at either taking over 1B, or they could move Cantu there and have McPherson play his natural position. Moving Cantiu to 1B would be the best move defensively for the Marlins. So it could certainly happen. McPherson is a nice sleeper for NL only and deep mixed leagues.

J.R. Towles – C Astros – There was a lot of hype surrounding Towles heading into last season. Both Geovany Soto and Towles were the hot names at the catcher position. Soto had an excellent year, while Towles struggled mightily. Since he was not producing much at all, the Astros sent Towels back down to the minors on June 5^th. He was recalled twice during the year and both times failed to impress. Even so, I’m not going to give up on Towles that easily.

In 2007 he hit .287 with 11 HRs and 62 RBIs in 100 games over three different levels of the minors. So the talent is definitely there. His scouting reports all indicate that he’s an excellent athlete and he has above average speed for a catcher as well. So it just might be that he was a little overwhelmed with all the pressure going into last year. Most people have completely disregarding Towles though. If he breaks out he’ll be a nice sleeper and a very weak position.

Jorge De La Rosa – SP Rockies – It’s always tough recommending a pitcher from Colorado, however, De La Rosa has some upside that could make him a nice pick this year in the later rounds. Maybe even your last selection. After being traded to the Rockies from the Royals in April, De La Rosa posted a 10-8 record with a 4.92 era. On the surface that’s not all that impressive, but he did have 128 K’s in 130 innings which is always a plus. He also was a much more effective pitcher after the All Star Break by going 7-3 with a 3.08 era. So if he can build on his second half double digit wins and a good amount of Ks should follow.

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Final Week Review In Major League Baseball

The Los Angeles Angels were the first to clinch a playoff spot and the first to clinch their division. They rounded out their regular season accomplishments by securing the best record in baseball, going 100-62 this season.

The Angels will play host to the American League Wild Card winners, the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox were able to capture their playoff berth with ease and hope to play the spoiler role over an Angels team that many people predict will win the World Series.

The first team to clinch their post-season berth in the National League was the Chicago Cubs. Wrigley Field will be the site of the first two Cubs games as they welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers to town. The Dodgers were the 2^nd team in the National League to claim their spot in the second season.

The rest of the National League playoff picture didn’t settle into place without heartbreak and drama.

With the season drawing to a close, we knew that either the New York Mets or the Philadelphia Phillies would clinch the division and the loser was left to battle the slumping Milwaukee Brewers for the Wild Card berth.

Ryan Howard kept the Phillies winning when it mattered and they clinched the division with a game to spare.

That left the Mets and Brewers tied for the last spot with just one day left in the season. Mets fans were left with the reality that lightning can strike twice and the Mets had collapsed for the 2^nd time in two years and would miss the playoffs after a 4-2 loss following a Brewers win.

These 2 teams will now face off as Ryan Braun and CC Sabathia head to Philadelphia to take on Chase Utley and Cole Hamels.

The American League didn’t settle on a playoff lineup without some drama either.

The Twins were able to sweep the White Sox and claim a slight edge in the division race late in the week. The Sox and Twins both dropped 2 of 3 games in the last series of the year, which made it necessary for Detroit to head to U.S. Cellular Field on Monday for a makeup game.

Chicago won the game 8-2 and forced a one game playoff to decide the winner of the American League Central.

In what could be the worse rule in professional sports, the Twins were forced to play the game in Chicago based on a coin flip, despite holding a 10-8 season series edge.

John Danks and Nick Blackburn battled it out in an unlikely pitcher’s duel. The only mistake of the game came when Nick Blackburn left a pitch up to Jim Thome and he hit a 461-foot homerun for the game’s only run.

The White Sox win sends them to Tampa Bay to take on the American League East Champion Rays.

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Major League Baseball Weekly Review

The playoff landscape is starting to take shape.

The Los Angeles Angels have the advantage of setting up their rotation and resting key players before the start of the 2^nd season.

The Chicago Cubs now share a similar situation after clinching the division.

The Tampa Bay Rays have clinched a playoff spot, but have not wrapped up the division title. They lead Boston by 1.5 games.

The Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers are in the driver’s seat for their respective playoff berths. It would take a huge collapse for either not to make it in. If one of them were to fail to reach the postseason, it would be the White Sox who could see their 2.5 game lead disappear if they are swept at Minnesota this week.

The Philadelphia Phillies hold a 1.5 game edge over the New York Mets. The Phillies are 9-1 over their last 10 games while the Mets are just 4-6. Sound familiar?

If the Mets can’t catch the Phillies, they are likely to capture the wild card spot. They lead the Milwaukee Brewers by 1.5 games and the Brewers can’t seem to string anything together this month. They are 5-15 in September.

If Tampa Bay holds off the Red Sox, then Boston will take the American League wild card.

September is always a surprise as you see veterans get hot or maybe rookies get a call up and impress.

Adrian Gonzalez, Prince Fielder, Carlos Pena, Shin-Soo Choo, Jorge Cantu and David Ortiz all have at least 3 homeruns and 10 RBI this week. Only Ortiz carries a batting average under .368, but the stat of the week is Ryan Garko’s .833 batting average!

Dan Haren, Kyle Davies, Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly, Scott Lewis, Tony Pena, Brad Ziegler and Daisuke Matsuzaka each picked up 2 wins this week. Joakim Soria and Brad Lidge closed out four games apiece for their clubs.

X Factor? No, it's more like Catch Factor!

Catch Factor
In 2007, only 2 catchers hit 20 or more homeruns.
Jorge Posada has been injured and only has 3 HR, while Victor Martinez currently sits on the DL and has yet to go deep.
So how has the 2008 class of catchers improved?
There are 5 catchers that are likely to hit 20 or more homeruns, 4 guys that are on pace for 80+ RBI and 16 players batting .280 or better.
We have all seen a dominant pitcher get hot and virtually carrying a team into the postseason and even to a World Series title, but the other half of the battery may be even more important to a team’s success.
Let’s take a closer look at the top catchers (min. 200 AB) as we near the All-Star Break…
Brian McCann (Atlanta Braves)
McCann is turning in a wonderful season thus far. He’s batting .299 with 14 homeruns, tops among catchers. His 35 runs is ranks 4th and his 45 RBI put him 3rd. The Braves have disappointing with a 40-43 record, but sit just 4.5 games back in the division race.
Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins)
Mauer is batting a remarkable .322 and shows discipline at the plate evidenced by his 41 walks. He has just 3 homeruns on the year, but power has never been his game. He has contributed 32 RBI and leads all catchers with 48 runs scored. Mauer and the Twins have won 10 of the last 11 games and have closed to within 1 game of the White Sox for first in the Central.
Russell Martin (LA Dodgers)
Martin is a big reason that the Dodgers are just 2 games out of first place in the division. He’s been called upon to pick up the slack for the injured Andruw Jones and that’s exactly what he’s done. Martin has been solid all around with a .310 batting average, 8 HR, 37 RBI, 41 runs, 7 stolen bases and 44 walks.
Geovany Soto (Chicago Cubs)
Soto ranks 2nd among catchers in HR and RBI, with 13 HR and 47 RBI. He’s batting .280 with 27 runs and 37 walks. Soto has helped the Cubs to a 49-32 record. Those 49 wins are 2nd only to the Boston Red Sox.
Bengie Molina (San Francisco Giants)
Molina has been one of the lone bright spots for a Giants team that was picked to finish dead last after the loss of Barry Bonds. Molina is batting .308 with 6 HR and 25 runs scored. He has 48 RBI, which leads all catchers. The Giants don’t have the best-looking record but they are in 3rd place and 5.5 games isn’t too much to overcome.

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MLB INjury Report from Letsgodeep.com: 6/8/08

Injury Report 6-8-08 Matt Holliday
Holliday is wrapping up a successful rehab stint and should rejoin the big club on Tuesday.Josh Hamilton
Hamilton missed Sunday’s game due to illness. He’s day-to-day.Vernon Wells
Wells was expected to be out 6-8 weeks, but missed just one month before returning to the Blue Jays lineup.Andy LaRoche
Look for the Dodgers to bring LaRoche up as soon as Monday morning.Chipper Jones
Jones is bothered by a quad strain once again and will miss at least a few games.Rick Ankiel
Ankiel has an infection is his knee that has kept him out of the lineup for a while. He could return on Tuesday.David Ortiz
Ortiz will be out at least 2-3 weeks with a wrist injury. If it doesn’t get any better by then, he could miss the rest of the season.